Many students feel strongly about school lunches. While we appreciate that they are free, students complain that the serving sizes are too small and that options are limited.
According to usafacts.org, 30.1 million students — over 60% of all public school students — received a free or reduced-price lunch through the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) in 2023.
Even with us getting a free lunch, students feel the lunches still need to be good quality.
WHS students were asked in a survey what additions should be made to school lunches. Ten out of 79 students say we need more flavor to improve lunches.
Others feel that the best way to improve lunches are with bigger portions. This is a main concern to our students, that they are not getting enough food to get them through the school day and some through sporting events.
“In all honesty, it just can be frustrating sometimes because we are in the prime age of our growth, and we need plenty to fuel our minds. Despite this, we are getting minuscule servings. We need the proper amount of food to be able to function during sports and to even think properly. If we eat too little in the day, our grades may suffer and it can cause mental stunt growth and depression and/or anxiety issues,” sophomore Chloey Brazel said.
There is a cash snack bar, but students even feel that it is lacking options as well.
According to the survey, students want to see more drink options. Some students want flavored water, soda, energy drinks, etc.
“More snacks, more drinks, soda or energy drinks would be good to make a lot of money,” sophomore Kaleb Kellner said.
Many students want to see the snack bar open all day but that can cause educational distractions.
“I would like the snack bar to be open the whole day. Maybe it can be run by a business class. They do that in Clinton,” sophomore Eliana Jenson said.
An alternative to having the snack bar open all day would be having a snack vending machine students can access during passing periods. Many students feel that they would enjoy having a snack vending machine open all day. Students feel it will satisfy their needs.